Plot

The story so far…

Five strangers at a tavern on the Feast of Angermonth, the traditional ‘letting your hair down’ occasion in the middle of the hottest month of the year, found themselves in an out of control brawl that led to them being thrown in jail. The other prisoners were all released before them and they found out that the son of a councillor had been killed. After a visit from Ethelred, a mysterious aide to the Council, they were freed and sent north with a letter of marque and a warning to not come back.

The men on the journey north were Rammus, a leader of men and member of the Soldiers’ Guild, Felix a Fire Dancer, now Entertainer with a haunted past and pacifistic nature, Sven, a Trafficker who has travelled the world and seen enough misfortune to consider himself cursed, Warwick, a sharp eyed Truil with a wily animal companion and a dark secret and finally Riven, a Dindavaran exile who carries a demon-haunted blade.

The men bonded – and competition brewed between Rammus and Craw, a talking crow and companion of Warwick – on the long carriage ride to the town of Bankeld, which appeared to have been under attack recently. There they met up with Aroldo, an orangutang who had befriended Felix, Arshavir, a biauruchs Sven had stolen while escaping the Maemeck Matriarchy and their final companion Dave, a ferocious warrior with a hidden link to the old noble families of Uldholm.

In Bankeld, the party met with the local head of the Miner’s Guild, Marva, who had taken a liking to Rammus’ pack of hunting dogs. She informed them that they were likely to encounter resistance from the mayor of their destination, the village of Roufil. She also asked to be kept out of any complications their arrival would bring.

The short and straightforward cart ride to Roufil ended with the party becoming lost in the middle of the night. Magical interference was suspected and with the aid of Arshavir, Sven spotted a mysterious man performing some kind of ritual nearby. Unusually, the normally ‘eagle’ eyed Craw was unable to find the man. After a prolonged argument, the party decided to investigate rather than press on or head back. They found a light coming from a nearby cave and entered, finding the Cave of Dark Reflections, which gave them some perplexing information. They were unable to find the man, but Warwick, an experienced tracker, was convinced he found signs of the man’s passage.

Upon returning to the cart, they decided to turn back and eventually found their way to Roufil. At the Miner’s Guildhall, they were met by Holk Gurson, a Soldier who headed the town militia. Holk’s semi-conscious state and their own fatigue from the journey led to the party seeking an early night.

The next day, the party got the lay of the land from a now compus mentis Holk and some of the Miner’s Guild apprentices. They decided to take their case straight to the mayor of the village, Fraener Uliman. The mayor and his gigantic bodyguard, Boltzmann were less than thrilled to see them. After seeing the letter they brought, Fraener threw them out of his house in a fury.

Letting the mayor calm down, the party decided to explore the village and meet the locals.